Golf club bag



I. O. BAUER GOLF CLUB BAG June 17, 1947.

Filed Nov. 1, 1944 INVENTIOR.

Patented June 17, 1947 UNITED snares OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a golf club carrier or bag of lightweight, simple and inexpensive structure, non-burdensome to the players personal carriage along the playing course, of a capacity for conveying a full complement of clubs and in which they can be pocketed for subdivision into several groups as those with Wooden heads from those with metal heads.

An object of the invention is to provide a golf club carrying bag with a stay rod longitudinal of its length to sustain the bag against collapse lengthwise of the clubs and provide a rib for securing and joining the ends of the fabric forming the tubular body portion of the bag and for anchoring or securing the opposite ends of a shoulder and hand, bag carrying strap.

Another object is to provide a bag of tapering form longitudinally to reduce the dimension of its open club receiving head end to withhold the clubs from group dislodgment from the bag, as when dropped to the ground for the players relief from carriage to administer a play, and without interference to the freedom of the individual club insertion and withdrawal to and from the bag.

Another object is to provide an improved form of a strap for shoulder carriage of the bag, and adapted to girdle the shoulder and arm pit for sustaining the bag in perpendicular slanting position for a self-balancing carriage, and to extend the bag protruding ends of the clubs forward of the shoulder of the carrier for body clearance and convenience to withdraw or reinsert the clubs, and to avoid instituting a forearm downward pressure upon the bag and clubs to extend the same clear of the body of the person while walking. The girdle constitutes an extension of a section. of the strap proportioned and gauged for hand carriage of the bag.

Various other features and advantages of the invention will be more fully set forth in the following description of the drawings accompanied herewith and forming a part hereof, and exemplifying a preferred embodiment, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the golf club bag and the carrying strap positioned as engaged over the shoulder of an individual.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the upper end of the bag and the strap positioned for hand carriage,

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on. line 3-3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged section on line 4-4, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a section corresponding to Figure 3, showing the outer casing and the inner partition or subdivision constructed from a single ply of fabric folded in eccentric coil-like form with the ends overlapped and secured to a stay strip longitudinal of the bag.

Figure 6 is a central transverse section through a pouch for carrying golf balls and other accessories fixed to the stay rod at the exterior side of the bag.

Referring to the drawings, l indicates the tubular body portion of the bag or casing, formed of a single piece of fabric or pliable material as a cotton duck or other kind or grade of material. The opposite longitudinal ends of the fabric are hem folded, relatively overlapped and secured by a line or row of tacks or other metallic fasteners 2, to and longitudinally of a stay 3, preferably as a wood strip and extending the full length of the juncture of the ends of the fabric or depth of the body of the bag, and positioned on the inner side thereof. The margins of the fabric at the lower end of the body .are hem lapped and stitched together, preferably by several lines of stitching d, for closure .sealing the base end of the casing or body of the bag. The stitching extends transversely across the bottom of the bag as a simple and expeditious manner for forming an end closure, and the crosswise hem, strengthens and reinforces the base of the bag.

.The body of the bag tapers inwardly from the bottom or base end toward the open or club receiving head end, with the bottom internal dimension affording ample space for packaging the head ends of a full complement of clubs, while the open head end is of a reduced dimension to prevent a group dislodgment of clubs from the bag. The clubs individually, however, without interference can be freely and readily inserted into or withdrawn from the bag. This is of material advantage to the player, while at play, as he can drop the bag upon the round to be relieved of its carriage without liability of having the complement of clubs accidentally dislodged from the bag. It also provides for more compactly aggregating the handle ends of the clubs and confines the same either individually or collectively against undue swing to the discomfort of the player in the shoulder carriage of the bag.

The bag interiorly is subdivided into a pair or plurality of compartments for its full length by a second section of fabric 5, of reduced width and looped, following the assembly for the body of the bag, with its longitudinal opposite end margins, hem folded and overlappingly secured to the stay inward or beneath the jointed ends of the fabric for the outer casing or bag body and likewise tapering inward from the base end for relatively reducing the dimension of the open head of the compartment. 7

It is obvious and within the concept, that the bag and its interior subdivision can be constructed from a single piece of fabric or pliable material, as outlined in cross-section Figure 5. One end of the fabric is initially fastened to the stay, from which it is folded into a loop for the dimension of the compartment and passed over the stay fastened end continuing in a second larger sized loop, enveloping the first loop for the body of the bag, with the opposite end of the fabric in a hem fold terminating to overlie the several ply portions crossing the stay and there with conjointly permanently secured to the stay by a row or line of tacks or other method or means for a full bag length connection to the a stay.

The stay also provides a stable support and facilitates in the attachment of the opposite ends of an alternate hand and shoulder carriage strap. The strap for hand carriage of the bag comprises a strap section 6, having its opposite ends fixed to the stay, at one end to the upper end of the stay and its opposite end slightly beyond the midway point of the length of the stay for engagement over the shoulder of the wearer, has

one end fixed, with a relative end of section 6, to the upper end of the stay and its opposite end to the section and at a point approximately one third of its length and from the upper stay connected end' and therewith forms a girdle to extend over the shoulder and crosswise beneath the arm pit of the wearer. The doubl loop formation for alternate hand and shoulder carriage of the bag, when the strap is engaged ove the shoulder of the wearer, sustains the bag at an angle perpendicularly, extending the handle ends of the clubs protruding from the bag outwardly an ample distance away from the body of the wearer so as not to be impeding. Any suspending swing of the bag is retarded and limited by the transversely extending portion of the hand carrier section 6, intervening and joining the ends of the shoulder section 1, which underlies the arm pit, so that there is no necessity of guarding against any swinging motion by applying any forearm bearing pressure upon the bag as commonly practiced by the conventional single strap method.

The strap being connected to a rigid stay extending the full length of the bag results in a distribution of the bag load over the entire length of the stay materially relieving the bag material of a centralized strain, as when a strap connectioni made directly to and intermediate of the body of the bag, and thereby avoids the necessity of any added reinforcement to the bag at such point, increasing the cost of bag and complicating manufacture. The strap as shown constitutes a single length material, although this is optional as the hand and shoulder section may comprise separate lengths secured together and to the stay.

The bag for packaging andshipping permits the body portion to be compactly coiled about the stay which is of benefit in merchandising.

As shown in Figure 6, a pouch 8, for carrying golf balls and other accessories is fixed to the stay rod on the exterior side of the bag. The pouch is constructed of a fabric material and is of rectangular outline, opening to it interior along a longitudinal edge. Its opposite edge 9, is tacked to a side of the stay rod 3, for extending the pouch across the front side of the stay rod with its open end I9 overlapping the opposite side thereof and fastening thereto by separable or glove fasteners, preferably one at each of the longitudinal ends of the pouch opening. One element ofthe separable fastener is fixed to the plies of the pouch and the second to the stay rod. Upon releasing the opening end from the stay. rod the pouch can be swung outwardly for access thereinto. i 1

Having described my invention, I claim:

A golf club carrying bag, comprising: a ply material and a stay bar of bag length, the ply material being coiled longitudinally in double loop fold, One fold within the other, the outer fold forming the body of the bag and the inner fold being to compartment the interior of the bag body, the longitudinal ends of the folds being lapped over the stay bar and attached thereto to seam the fold ends together and to stabilize the bag body, the layers formed by the outer fold of the material atone end of the bag body being seamed together for the bottom closure of the bag and a strap looped to provide for either manual hand or shoulder carriage of the bag and fixed to the stay bar exterior of the bag.

IRWIN O. BAUER.

asrsanrtons or an The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain May 28, 1931 

